Drinking-cup dispenser



April 1, 1930; H. A. MILLER 1,752,607

DRINKING cu? DISPENSER Filed Jan. 21. 1929 Patented 1, 1930 PATENT orrrcs H L'BOLD A. mm 0] OTILWA, OIImO, cum

Application M January 21, ll. Serial Io. 383,067.

This invention relates to a drinking cup dispenser and the principal object of my invention is to provide a container having on the inner face thereof a plurality of retainl ing members, the upper portion of each being provided with a contacting face corresponding in curvatureto the curvature of the under face of the lips of the cups to be distherefrom.

10 A further object of my invention is to provide a container having on the inner face thereof a plurality of retaining members, the upper portion Of each being provided with a contacting face corresponding in curvature 15 t0 the curvature of the under face of the lips of the cups to be dispensed therefrom and the remaining portion of' the contacting face of each retaining member being serrated.

- A further object of my invention isto provide a container having on the inner face thereof a plurality of members so formed that their upper portions act as a base on which the lip o the lowermost .of a plurality of nestled cups will normally rest,

* while the remaining portions of the respective contacting faces will act as a segregating means should the second lowermost cup bepulled past the base on which it should have normally rested after the lowermost cup had so been withdrawn. I With the foregoing and other objects in view as will appear as the description pro- I ceeds, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of co-operating elements as hereinafter more specifically set forth, claimed and shown'in the accompanying drawings forming a part of the present application, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a portion of a container, illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1, showing the second lowermost cup as having been drawn down with the lowermost cup past the normal retaining base while the third lowermost cup isbeing supported on the normal retaining base and having been arrested by the serrated portions of the memiobers.

Fig.3isasimilarviewtoFig. 1 m1 L1 moldligliei form of the retaining f lsanelargedveviewo one of the members.

Likenumeralsofreferencedmignatecorl responding parts throughout the difiermt views.

.In the of drinking it is desirous to provide a device which be inexpensive to produce,yet eflicientinthe dispensing of only one cup at a time. I apple ciatethattherearedevicesmuse todaywhichembodyastrueturewhichwill dispenseonlyonecupatatimqbutflieapparatns, forming such devices is ve to manufacture, cumbersome in operation and constantly requires repair or adjt to the various moving parts.

In the construction disclosed in this application, I rovide a cup dispenser which can beman actured atamostreasonablecod,

will provide most efiicient service in the proper of cups'one at a time andhas no moving parts to adjust or repair.

i represents a container which may be of any desired shape convenient for a plurality of cups in upright n ed position.- In spaced relationship the mner contour of the container 4 and adjacent the discharge end thereof,'I provide. a pluan rality of members5. In the preferred embodiment of my invention, these retaining members are separately formed and their body portion 6 riveted, brazed, welded or otherwise fixedly connected to the inner I contour of the container 4. In the modified form shown in Fig. 3, these retaining members are provided by stamping tongues 5' from the material forming the side walls of the container 4, which tongues are bent in- 00 wardly and formed in corresponding shape tothefreeends? oftheretaimngmembersli. The free ends 7 of theretaining members 5 are formed inwardly of and downwardly from the upper end of the body portions 6 as I clearly shown in Fig. 4.

Theadjoining rtion of each ofjhe free ends 7 is provid with an outer face 8, hava curvature of co ding relation- 'i ptothe curvature ofl e under faceof 1 the lip 9 of the cup 10. When a plurality of cups are in. the container 4, the under side of the lip of the lowermost cup will normally rest on the retaining base provided by the faces 8 in full contact therewith.

The remaining ortion of-each of the contacting faces of t e free ends 7 is'provided with a plurality of transverse serrations as at 11. These serrations extend down a greater distance from the to of the respective body portions 6 than the istance between the lips of the cups when in normal nestled formation. The pa Fig. 2. In this illustration, 10 is the lowermost on which is being pulled down to be' remove 10 is the second lowermost cup which had become stuck to the lowermost cup and has been pulled over the normal retainin base formed b th'e, faces 8- on which it should have rested a er.the lowermost cup 10 was pulled down. While passing overjthe plural-a ity of serrations, th'e' cu 10" will be loosened from its stuck relations ip to thelowermost cup 10 and will be arrested, thus permitting the lowermost cup 10' to be withdrawn freely from the remaining cups in the container. In view of the s acing between the lowermost mrrations and t e tops of their respective retaining members, the weight-0f the remaining cups in the container will be taken up by the lip of the third lowermost cup 10 coming in contact with. the base formed by the faces 8 andthus the second lowermost cup 10 will be relieved from the additional weight'of the remaining cups which will facilitate the action of the serrationsas at 11. The same deof this is illustrated in meme-z and adjacent the discharge end thereof; the

cup contacting faces of each of said retainer members being so formed at their upper end as to provide a resting base on which a plur'ality of cups in nested formation may be sup rted by the under contour of the li of t e lowermost cup fully contacting wit 1 said respective faces and each of said retainer members havinga serrated face below said base for separating and arresting on s accidentally pulled from said faces w en the lowermost cup is being withdrawn.

4. A cup dlspenser comprising a container, a plurality of rigid retainer members carried in spaced relationship around the inner surface of said container adjacent the discharge end thereof, the upper ,portion'of each of said retainer members providing a resting base for the cu s, the said members being provided with inwardly projecting portions contoured to fit the outer-surfaces of the lips of the cups tobe dispensed.

In testimony whereoffI'aflix my si ature.

mom ,A ER.

sirable action is obtained by the tongues 5' disclosed in Fig. 3., g I

The foregoing ecificaticn and annexed drawings disclose t e. preferredembodiment of my lnventioh, but It-l8 to be understood that minor changes may be resorted to in the commercial adaptation of my invention withoutdepartin'g from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What I claim as new is: a 1. .A cup dispenser composed of a containor; a plurality of retainer members of rigid formation carried in spaced relations around the inner contour of said container and adjacent the discharge end thereof; the upper portion of each of said retainer memproviding a resting base, the contacting faces thereof corres n ing to the under contour of the li of t e cups to be used in said container an the cup contactin face of each. retainer member being serrate v 2. A cup dispenser composed of a contain: er; a pluralityof retainer members of rigid 1P formation carried inspaced relations around the inner contour of said container and adjacent the discharge end thereof;:the upper portion of each of said retainer members providing a restin base, the contacting faces thereof correspon to the under con- 

